Refuge in Santa Marta Hostel

My partner and I stayed here for one night in 2018, after attending an event, and booked through Booking.com. We were in Lisboa for our first accommodation after the event. We both got seriously ill with what we believed was food poisoning, possibly from the water we drank. I was weak and unwell, and we had to keep using the bathroom, but when we tried to get help there were no staff around. The next morning my partner went to the shared kitchen to look at the included breakfast and planned to take one of the pancakes for me. The owner arrived and began yelling at him. My partner tried to explain, but the owner was dismissive and rude. We were made to leave before checkout time, even though we were still very ill and had planned to book several more nights because we could barely walk. We had to find somewhere else, luckily, and stayed ill for another week. It's a convenient city-center location, close to restaurants, laundry, and a pharmacy, opposite the hospital, but a bit noisy at night. I hesitated to write this because I worried about harming the business, but after seeing so many comments about the accommodation, I felt I should share what happened to us. The experience traumatized us, and it was heartbreaking to see people treated this way.

Small, cozy, and personable, this hostel was very clean and well maintained. The host kept everything under control, making sure everyone stayed quiet at night so guests could sleep well. He also shared great suggestions for places to visit.

The staff were wonderful, and the guesthouse was in a good location. Breakfast was simple but tasty, especially the pancakes. Thank you, José, for the tips about less touristy parts of Lisbon. My wife and I loved them. The only downside wasn't the Refuge in Santa Marta itself. We couldn't use the kitchen because the family in room 107 used it every day and left it very dirty. Some people just don't respect the rules. Thanks again, José.

I really liked the place at first, with its great location and good breakfast. But on our last day we checked out an hour late, and Jose reacted with fury. He shouted at me and stood between me and my clothes while I was in a towel, then threatened to call the police when I tried to get them. I know we shouldn't have been late, but that level of anger was shocking and upsetting. I won't stay here again.